


Leo von Krakenburg's Birthday Bash Bonanza

by Tyrux



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Birthday Presents, Elise is a gremlin (as she should be), Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28190916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyrux/pseuds/Tyrux
Summary: “SURPRISE!”Leo considered himself rather adept at controlling his emotions, but as it was a rather undignified yelp escaped him at the sudden cacophony of noise. His entire family was pressed into the sitting room—Xander, Camilla, Corrin, and Elise, the latter of whom leapt inside with an exaggerated flourish of her arms, gesturing over the scene as she joined in the cheer.His two retainers appeared to number amongst them as well. Niles acknowledged him with a nod and a particularly “Niles'' grin. On the other side, Odin’s spellcraft was at work, conjuring sparks and flashes of light as he murmured eldritch incantations to the familiar tune of… happy birthday?Oh. June 30th. I suppose it is my birthday.
Relationships: Camilla & Elise & Leon | Leo & Marx | Xander, Leon | Leo & My Unit | Kamui | Corrin, Leon | Leo & Odin & Zero | Niles
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Leo von Krakenburg's Birthday Bash Bonanza

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Morskijez](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morskijez/gifts).



_And if we hide the wyvern riders behind that southern ridge…_

“Lee-ooo~,”

_...Lure the sky knights over the canyon…_

“Hey, big brother!”

A grin spread across his face, the type that only came with the sinister satisfaction of securing victory. _Crush their advance and seize the fort in a single fell swoop._

“LEO!”

Leo blinked, pulling his head up from the sea of documents strewn across his desk. His sister glared back at him, hands on her hips, mouth tilted in an exaggerated pout.

“Hello Elise,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “What can I do for you?”

“You’d already know that if you’d been LISTENING,” she exclaimed, crossing her arms. “Anyways,” she huffed. “What I said was, you need to come with me!”

He frowned, shaking his head. “It’ll have to wait, I’m afraid. I’m in the middle of devising some new contingencies for our forces on the border, so if you don’t mind—”

“Nuh-uh!” she shot back, wagging her finger in his face. “That won’t work on me, mister. I saw that smirk—you just finished, didn’t you?”

“Well, technically speaking—”

“Didn’t you!”

Leo grumbled for a moment, before letting out a sigh. “Yes, Elise. I suppose I’ve reached a reasonable stopping point.”

“Perfect!” she cheered, clapping her hands together, all smiles once again. “Now, follow me!”

“If this is to do with you and Odin’s antics, I want no part in—”

“It’s not, it’s not!” she insisted, all-but yanking him out of his chair. “And we’re off!”

Elise led him out of the study on a winding path through the hallways of the Northern Fortress. Leo normally made a point of setting his duties aside while visiting Corrin—this was a time for family. But their little cold war with Hoshido had been picking up steam, as of late. Stratagems were more important than ever, and he certainly couldn’t trust Iago’s people with attending to such critical tasks any more than absolutely necessary.

Thus, sacrifices had to be made.

“We’re here!” Elise announced, snapping him out of his musings.

Leo had committed the fortress to memory long ago, but thought of the war had admittedly stolen his attention as they’d walked. This looked to be the doors of one of several sitting rooms, and as Elise pushed the doors open—

“SURPRISE!”

Leo considered himself rather adept at controlling his emotions, but as it was a rather undignified yelp escaped him at the sudden cacophony of noise. His entire family was pressed into the sitting room—Xander, Camilla, Corrin, and Elise, the latter of whom leapt inside with an exaggerated flourish of her arms, gesturing over the scene as she joined in the cheer.

His two retainers appeared to number amongst them as well. Niles acknowledged him with a nod and a particularly “Niles'' grin. On the other side, Odin’s spellcraft was at work, conjuring sparks and flashes of light as he murmured eldritch incantations to the familiar tune of… happy birthday?

_Oh. June 30th. I suppose it is my birthday._

“You didn’t think we’d forget, did you?” Elise exclaimed, which indicated he’d said that last part out loud. “Come on, come on, we’re doing presents first!”

Elise ushered him into the grandest armchair of the lot—this was usually Xander’s seat, and he felt entirely too small for it. Nonetheless, here was his family smiling and laughing, and he supposed he was rather pleased to see them so unabashedly joyful.

 _Additionally,_ he silently admitted to himself, he _was_ at least a little interested as to what they’d gotten him this year.

“Happy birthday, dearest brother,” Camilla said, standing to wrap him in a mildly crushing (but warm) embrace. “These are from Elise and I.”

Elise stumbled over from the side of the room, balancing a tower of parcels taller than her. She lowered them down precariously at his feet, and Leo went about unpacking them methodically. He wasn’t the sort to frantically tear into gifts—best to leave the maids with an easier job of cleaning, at the very least.

“Three sweaters, two pairs of leggings, six pairs of socks, and…” Leo trailed off, unwrapping the last package. “A lovely winter cloak.”

The cloak had the words ‘SUPER COOL BROTHER GUY’ carefully stitched into it. Elise’s handiwork.

“And they’re all…” Leo murmured, trailing off.

“Reversible!” Elise said, clapping her hands. “So if you put ‘em on the wrong way, it’s actually still the right way!”

Leo chuckled incredulously, though he suspected his collar was failing to hide his reddening face. “That’s very thoughtful. Thank you both very much.”

“Alright, Xander next!” Elise exclaimed.

“If I didn’t know any better,” Niles murmured, kneeling down at Leo’s side as he leaned close conspiratorially. “I’d say Lady Elise just wants to get started on your birthday cake.”

Leo nodded slowly. “Astute as ever, Niles.”

“I had this personally commissioned for you,” Xander said as he stepped forward, procuring a long, thin parcel. “May it serve you well.”

Opening the package revealed a thin, steel blade, fitted with a crystalline conductor along its middle. Leo stood, giving it an experiment flourish—surprisingly light.

“Very generous of you, brother. A sort of Levin Sword?” Leo surmised.

“Indeed, though not quite,” Xander answered. “It does not channel lightning, but rather—”

On a hunch, Leo angled it at his new stack of clothes, allowing his magic to flow freely through his veins. He jerked the point upward, and the clothing levitated into the air—wreathed in violet light.

He released the clothes gently and lowered the blade. The hum of both it and the tome on his belt gradually faded away.

Leo nodded, thoroughly impressed. “It is attuned to Brynhildr,” he concluded. “You must have some blacksmith.”

“Only the best for a prince of Nohr,” Xander replied, smiling warmly. “Happy birthday, Leo.”

“You flatter me, Xander,” Leo said, head bowed as he sheathed the blade. “Thank you.”

Elise began scanning the room for her next target, but _he_ had already sprung into action.

“Milord, allow me to spin for you a tale!” Odin proclaimed, leaping to his feet. “For it is an epic of legend, written in the weave of fate amongst the stars themselves! My solemn, duty-bound quest—to retrieve the Crystal Heart of Unvergänglich, Keeper of the Endless Catacombs!”

Odin reached into his cloak, and with a dramatic flourish unveiled a jagged black stone the size of a fist. Crystal Heart or no, there was enough dark magic emanating from the thing Leo was surprised he hadn’t noticed it sooner.

“By the might of Unvergänglich, I expect your dark powers to increase twice— no, ten-fold!” Odin continued. “The battle was fierce, and just when I thought Odin Dark had found a worthy opponent, there, from the shadows! My silent savior struck the fiend down with a single strike!”

“Most monsters aren’t so tough with an arrow through their skull,” Niles added with a shrug. “Happy birthday, Lord Leo.”

“Your bravery is quite commendable, both of you,” Leo finally responded. All these years, and Odin was still finding new ways to surprise him. “Niles, would you take this someplace safe?”

“It will be done,” he said, gingerly retrieving the black crystal.

“And now, for the grand finale!” Elise called out. “The one you’ve all been waiting for, the greatest sister this side of the Bottomless Canyon, it’s Corrin!”

Corrin chuckled, flushing red as she stood. “I’m not sure I can compete with Odin, but...” With a smile, she handed him a small rectangular package. “Happy birthday, Leo.”

Leo opened the gift with care, unveiling a book rich with that wonderful fresh parchment smell. Its cover wasn’t anything extravagant, just simple red, the title spelled out in gold lettering.

“ _The Changing Skies,_ written by Sybaris _…_ ” Leo murmured, paging through the tome. “Corrin, this is…”

“A historical account of the war between the First Dragons, written by a daughter of the Dusk Dragon themselves,” Corrin answered. “I translated what I could from Old Draconic—the scrolls were a bit waterlogged, and Jakob helped me bind the book. Sybaris was a tactician, but they’re strategies for dragons, of course. Still, I thought you’d find it interesting, so…”

Corrin trailed off, shrugging sheepishly. “I hope you like it.”

“Sister, what you have given me is…” Leo trailed off, still taken aback. “Unimaginably precious. The knowledge contained within these pages…”

He looked up, meeting her gaze earnestly. “Thank you.”

“Oh, it’s no big deal,” she insisted, waving a hand. “Lilith actually found the scrolls when she was dusting, thank her!”

“I suspect I will,” Leo said, gingerly setting the book on the table. He’d have to account for a few less restful nights to pour over it later this week.

“You better find something that cool for _my_ birthday!” Elise said, playfully poking Corrin’s shoulder. “Alright people, up up up! We’ve got a dining hall to get to!”

Leo nodded slowly, though he feared he was beginning to grimace. “Hold a moment, Elise. Perhaps we could sit a moment before rushing off to the next exciting event of the day?”

Elise’s expression turned serious, nodding slowly. “You want to wait on the cake. I get it, it’s your birthday. Buuuuuut,” she continued with a grin. “Are you sure you want to wait on the pie?”

Leo cocked his head. “Pie?”

“Camilla had Selena make that one kind you love. You know, with the cheese, and the tomato sauce…”

Leo stood abruptly, brushing off his clothes. “Well then. You all heard Elise, we’d best be off. There are only so many hours in the day, after all.”

Giggling, Elise took off towards the door, eagerly ushering the others forward. Odin jogged forward to catch up with her, murmuring something in a low tone that only elicited further laughter. His elder siblings were next; Xander ruffling Elise’s hair with a fond smile, Camilla gesturing animatedly as they walked.

Leo paused for a moment, standing several paces back.

They looked...

“Leo? Are you okay?” Corrin said, stopped next to him. He turned to look at her, shaking his head

“I’m quite alright,” he insisted. “I’m just…”

Well, there was no harm in being honest to Corrin of all people.

“...Happy to be here with you all,” he murmured.

Corrin beamed back. “Me too, Leo. Come on, let’s go!”

“Yes,” he said, a faint smile creeping across his face. “Let’s."


End file.
